Eight injured in Route 220 crash

Source: Department of Public SafetyThis conversion van was involved in a two-vehicle crash Oct. 16 on Route 220 in Thorndike that sent eight people to area hospitals.

Thorndike — A crash on Route 220 Oct. 16 sent several people to area hospitals.

Department of Public Safety Spokesman Stephen McCausland said seven College of the Atlantic students were riding in a van that was turning into Crosby Brook Road. The driver of the 2014 GMC Savana van, 21-year-old Connor O-Brien of Massachusetts, turned into the path of an oncoming 1996 Ford Conversion van driven by Benjamin Stowe, 64, of Pennsylvania.

The crash occurred near the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association's Common Ground fairgrounds. All of the injured students have since been released from the hospital, according to a report in the Portland Press Herald.

College of the Atlantic, which owns seven vans, is liable for the damage, the Portland paper reported. The Oct. 16 crash marked the first time a college vehicle has been involved in such an incident. The college is continuing to look into the crash but no disciplinary action is expected to be taken against O'Brien, according to the Press Herald.

The injured occupants were taken to Inland Hospital in Waterville and Waldo County General Hospital, McCausland said. One person was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor.

Stowe was taken to Waldo County General Hospital to be treated for wrist and leg injuries.

McCausland said Julia Clemens, 25, a passenger in the College of the Atlantic van, was taken by LifeFlight helicopter to Eastern Maine Medical Center to be treated for a head injury.

College of the Atlantic passenger van following a two-vehicle crash Oct. 16 in Thorndike. Police said the van, filled with students, turned into the path of a conversion van.
(Source: Department of Public Safety)